Twisted Destiny
by xxMusicalMime
Summary: She's a brave street orphan. He's a cowardly prince. She ventured out alone at great risk. He hasn't left the castle grounds. Two beings unfurl in a twisted destiny as two opposites forced to attract. A bit OOC, I think. A:GON.
1. Petty Quarrels

**A/N:** _okay, Disclaimer. I do not own anything. _

_Okay? okay._

_Well, first tings first... hi. xDDD_

_It's me, Keishia, and I'm addicted to Aveyond. Recently I've been writing Dramione fics, but then I looked Aveyond up and it worked. So, this is my frist time in an Aveyond fic and my memory's faulty due to my dad's reformatting the laptop therefore erasing Aveyond Gates Of Night. -.- Well, anyways, enjoy!_

* * *

Mel got up and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She looked around and smiled. She was in a room she didn't remember. She hasn't been in a room like this in a long time. It was cramped… there was no other word for it. A single bed, a bedside table, and a closet were squeezed into the room. Outside was the 'living room', which consisted of a kitchen, no couches.

She sighed as she swung her legs off of her bed. Of course she doesn't remember. She was running away from Gyendal, for crying out loud! Then Te'ijal, another vampire, got her and sent her to study at the Thais's School of War and Magick, which is at the southeast portion of Thais. As of now, she's just resting for another endless day of another endless adventure.

"Stella?"She mumbled sleepily. A head poked out from the 'living room'. The girl had long, purple hair flowing down her back and she had a cute smile.

"Good Morning, Mel," she said happily. Mel smiled.

"Where are the others?"

"Oh, they went outside to stretch their legs."

"I don't doubt that," Mel muttered, smirking, "their legs must've been pulled to their hips at this cramped space."

Stella let out a tinkling laugh. "You're so funny, Mel!"

"Ehh… okay," she replied, awkward. "Let's go outside."

Once outside Mel's apartment, she met the party talking in hushed voices. Te'ijal was looking down at the road harshly, resisting the temptation of human blood flowing freely around her. Galahad, Te'ijal's husband and a half-vampire, smiled at Mel and Stella. Edward was pacing back and forth impatiently, and when he saw Mel, he groaned.

"What the hell, Mel!" was his first outburst of the day. "You made us late _again!"_

"Well sorry for the _tardiness," _she retorted sarcastically while rolling her eyes. "He's really prissy…"

"What did you say?"

"I said '_prince', _m'lord," she spat, curtseying to annoy. Edward lost it.

"I _told _you NOT TO CALL – "

"KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN, PENDRAGON!" Te'ijal screamed. Passersby stared. Mel giggled something about 'way to be discreet'.

Edward flushed in anger. For once in his whole life, he wanted to be acknowledged and respected as a prince. Every moment in his life was dedicated to correcting people from calling him '_prince' _or _'m'lord'_ or _'Your Highness'_. But now he just wanted to take everything back for a change.

"Now," Te'ijal said, clapping her hands, "let's go to Naylith. Edward, you now have Excalibur Topaz," Edward nodded, grasping the handle of his sword, "so we could now go. Alright, let's set off!"

No one moved. Te'ijal slapped her forehead.

"Alright, alright. Mel, you lead."

"What! Why is _she _leading the group?" Edward screeched indignantly. Again, passersby stared.

"Because this demon spawn said so," Galahad mused indifferently. He was still quite angry at his wife for tricking him into being a vampire. HE calls her 'demon spawn' every time, although Te'ijal has the contrasting idea.

"Husband, how you flirt!" she squealed. Mel suddenly turned green. Stella took matters out of hand.

"Well, then, come on! Let's go! Lead the way, Mel!" she cried happily, pulling Mel's arm to the front of the group. Mel led them outside Thais, hoping that no one would be suspicious of them, although with a street orphan/spy in the lead, the Crown Prince with a large sword on his back in the second, an amnesiac happy-go-lucky girl skipping and humming, a red-haired, pale-skinned vampire pissed, and a half-vampire paladin, they could be caught for 'circus acts' at any minute.

They stepped into Brightwood Forest just west of Thais. The forest was filled with wolves, but they didn't harm the group as long as they literally don't cross paths. Mel, who as the explorer type, went every which way and chanced upon some bags of gold coins and unlocked chests filed with several haunches and Cassia leaves. Mel got into a squabble with Edward again about whether to go north or south at the very first step into the woods. Now they reached another fork in the road, and the atmosphere was tense.

"Mel, which way?" Stella asked, oblivious to the tension in the air. Mel didn't answer, but looked at the arrows pointing to different directions. One pointing south was labeled 'Moo Hatchery'. To the north was Istir Forest.

"We go north," Edward drawled bossily. Mel internally scowled and stomped ahead, Edward smirking at her back. Stella just raised her eyebrows at the two. She walked up to Edward.

"Didn't you say you were the first friend of Mel at school?" she asked. Edward looked at her questioningly before answering.

"Yeah… why?"

"Then why is she acting like this?" Stella persisted.

"Well… I think that, ever since she found out that I was a prince, she got all touchy," he chuckled as Mel's expression when she found out that he was the next king of Thais came into mind, "she hates royalty."

Silence passed the group. Mel retained the normal height of her shoulders and continued to walk until the temperature got a little chilly. They pulled their clothes a little tighter except Te'ijal, who ironically was wearing a short archer outfit. They passed another fork. Stella didn't have to ask which way. Edward and Mel answered at the same time.

"East."

"West."

"Why do you pick the opposite direction all the time?" Edward said. "It's east, I tell you! Are your direction senses _that _dull?"

Mel snapped. This was going too far. "THAT'S BECAUSE _ALL _YOU WANTED TO DO FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IS TO HECKLE EVERYONE ELSE! I _TOLD _YOU A MILLION TIMES TO NOT GO WITH ME AND STELLA WHEN I TRIED TO GET AWAY! BUT YOU _PERSISTED!_ SO DON'T GO AND ACT ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY WITH ME, BECAUSE YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DRAGGED YOUR ROYAL ASS INTO THIS MESS!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" the prince roared, but once again, Te'ijal to the rescue.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted over the two squabbling teens. They looked at her menacingly, but she was unruffled. "WE ARE GOING TO BE IN A GROUP FIGHTING MY BROTHER FOR A LONG TIME! AT LEAST START IT OFF WITH A SIMPLE TRUCE, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

Edward thought she made sense, but Mel stood her ground. "FINE! FINE! GO! HEAD EAST! I'LL STAY HERE IN THE EXACT POSITION OF THIS SIGNPOST! HMPH!"

She crossed her arms childishly, daring everyone with the look on her face. Te'ijal nodded to Edward to go and take charge to head east. When all of them were out of earshot, Te'ijal roughly grabbed Mel's arm and pulled her away from the signpost.

* * *

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we should wait for them," Stella said, looking back to Istir Forest as they stepped onto what Edward stated from the World Map as the northern part of the Thial Mountains, "we might lose them."

Edward stopped in his tracks. After a few seconds Te'ijal appeared with a crying Mel in her grasp. The vampire looked smug while the spy looked ready to kill.

"They're okay," Edward said smugly to Stella, who was wide-eyed.

"Go on," Galahad stated flatly, losing his good mood at the appearance of his wife. Edward nodded and led the group away into Thial Mountains North.

* * *

**A/N: **_I think it's kinda short, so forgive me if you think it is, too. :((_

_And I just want to make Edward and Mel quarrel. :))) Sorry, but in the end I guarantee they're the one getting all mushy. xDDD Well, it was in the game, better follow the plot. :DDD_

_Review? ;))_


	2. Outbursts and Love Sonnets

**A/N: _Sorry it took so long for the update. It was exam week. But no worries, school's over over here. The only thing that can keep me writing fics is reading the House of Night series (I only have the first 4 books because the bookstore had them in a pack... Shame they didn't include the next four... :'( ).

* * *

_**

Harpies… Storm Birds… what else?

The party went away from the corpse of a Harpy, their fourth slay of the day. It was rather hard at first. Mel only had a rusty dagger. Edward's Excalibur Topaz was a help. Te'ijal's bow and arrow would hit a harpy and kill it in one blow, but sometimes, she misses, which totally infuriated her. Stella would create minor healing spells and some shields. Galahad would be in the sidelines, going into battle from time to time, sheathing his cursed sword.

"So…" Mel said, panting, looking at her hand. Mel had this knack of looking at the corpse of their victims and, luckily enough, found haunches, cheese, and some useful Cassia leaves. "Where to, Edward?"

Edward looked at her curiously, and thoughts of Stella went out of his mind. As wrong as it may sound to nobles everywhere, Mel looked… cute. Edward had a love struck expression. In other words, he looked at everyone dreamily, a goofy grin plastered on his royal face.

"Hey," Mel called again. "I'm talking to you!"

She waved her hand in front of him. Edward knew she was doing that. Now he was just pretending to be in daze mode.

"I – LIKE – YOU – EDWARD!" Mel shouted in his ear, clearly thinking Edward wasn't listening. Stella beamed at Mel. Edward pretended to be 'awoken' and looked around, when inside his heart went overdrive.

"You said something, Mel?" he asked. Mel laughed, and he put on a pretend 'I-don't-know-why-she's-laughing-was-it-something-I-said' expression. Stella just smiled at him in an 'oh-if-you-just-knew-what-happened-a-minute-ago' face.

For the rest of the walk, Edward was grinning proudly, strutting, the precious Excalibur Topaz placed carelessly on his shoulder.

"Why… the-hell… is… EDWARD… _strutting_?"

Galahad looked at Mel, who was doubled up in silent giggles. He looked at Edward, who was like a noble wearing brand new knickerbockers.

"I think he heard you," he said to the young spy. She stopped dead.

"Wait…" she muttered, panicking.

Galahad laughed. "I was only joking. But with his attitude and only one eventful event, then there would be a high chance he got smug from your – ah… _confession."_

Mel blushed and went into defensive mode. "It's not a confession! It's… it's… an outburst!"

"An outburst is a confession with a loud voice, lamb chop," Te'ijal mused, perched on a rock, smiling toothily.

"Whatever!" Mel said, exasperated. "I don't like him!"

Mel went away, leaving the vampire couple behind. For once, Galahad and Te'ijal had something in common, other than being immortal.

"Yet," they both muttered under their breath, smirking knowingly.

* * *

"Hey, Edward?"

"What is it, Stella?"

"Umm…" she replied, shuffling her feet nervously.

"Yes?" he urged.

"I think… I think we're…"

_Oh no! She's confessing!_ He thought. IT was an 'oh no!' because he wasn't looking… cool… this time.

_Wait, why do I care? I like Mel!_

_No you don't! You like Stella!_

_Mel!_

_Stella!_

_Eck… Stella?_

_Eurgh… Mel!_

_Ha! I made you say Mel! _

Edward brought himself to the real world and focused on the girl in front of him. "What were you saying, Stella?"

"Well," she said, starting again, "While you were strutting, we… err… we kind of… went in a different direction."

Edward was unfazed. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"She means," Mel butted in, smirking, "that, instead of going to Naylith, we ended up in the base of a waterfall."

Edward looked about, and, indeed, they were in the base of a magnificent waterfall. Although there was a nagging hunch as to where the water was coming from, all he said was, "Oh."

"C'mon," Mel said, dragging Edward by the hand to the right direction, leading the party, smiling.

The others were dumbfounded.

"Does Mel know what she's doing?" Stella asked everyone in a low whisper.

"Yes; that street brat knows her stuff," Te'ijal said, picking on her fang with a long nail.

"Ah…" Galahad muttered, "True love…"

"Just like we have, eh, husband?" Te'ijal asked slyly. Stella avoided them by saying, "Oooh, look! A bird with silver wings!"

* * *

A few fights and a cave system later…

"Whoa!" the party gasped as mining sounds came through the walls as enchanting music. Edward didn't know where this was, and asked a resident there. What he noticed it that they were a lot shorter than the people in the party were.

"Excuse me," he said politely. The resident was hanging clothes. "Err… could you please tell me where this is?"

"Oh, you must be travelers!" The resident squealed. "Welcome to the city of Gheledon!"

All were dumbfounded. What did she just say?

"GHELEDON?" they roared.

"Oh, good going, Edward! Another sidetrack again!" Mel said. "Now we'll _never _reach Naylith!"

Edward was about to retort when the resident coughed slightly. "I believe that – erm… if you proceed to the east part of here, it will lead you to Naylith Summit."

Everyone was silent again as Edward did a victory dance. "I _told _you I wasn't making a sidetrack!"

"No, you didn't!" Mel retorted.

"I was about to!"

"Then rephrase!"

"Arrgh, what's the point, anyways!" Edward cried, exasperated. He didn't want to have a squabble with Mel again. The resident leant an inch towards Edward and asked, "Is that, by any chance, your partner, dear boy?"

Edward blushed at the thought. "N-no, no! She's just a colleague of mine. We're classmates, and she has a distant cousin in Naylith that just died recently. Her mother and father were already there and wanted Mel here to attend."

"Oh… so sorry for the loss, dear maiden," she said to Mel, who was dumbstruck. Edward tried hard not to laugh.

"Well, we best be going," Edward called out to the party. "Oh, by the way, could we ask you your name?"

The resident stood on her toes and shouted, "Petra, the dwarf!"

The party walked away, but not until Mel said, "What a weird… kid?"

* * *

The party of five moved up and down the streets of the town of Gheledon. They passed various buildings: the General Store, the armory, the weaponry, and many more. They even passed a gaping hole where the sound of metal hitting rock was strongest. There was a lopsided sign that said 'Dwarf Mines'.

"Hey! Look over there!" Mel said, pointing to something tall and grayish-white against the dark brown background. No sunlight ever penetrated the city except at the entrance, so the city was filled with light posts and lanterns, giving everything a faint and eerie gold glow.

"What's that? Who's that?" Stella asked ecstatically as they drew nearer. Te'ijal answered.

"It is a sculpture or statue of a woman with wings. She is known all around the world of Aia as the perpetual guardian. She is widely known as the woman with eternal power. In other words, she's the goddess."

"No need to be really bland on it, Te'ijal," Mel whispered, "She was just asking."

"What? There is nothing wrong with an absolutely complete answer, lamb chop," the vampire retorted.

Stella, who was oblivious to her surroundings, as always, formed a little 'o' of understanding with her mouth and nodded. After that she looked at the statue oddly, but no one in the group could place it, so they just shrugged it off. Mel went to the statue and poured in ten coins. All of a sudden their moods considerably lifted and their spirit seemed to soar a little.

"Wow," Edward sighed. He turned around and spotted a dwarf looking at him particularly daringly. The dwarf walked toward them, a quill tucked on its ear, and holding a single piece of paper.

"Hello, young man," it squeaked dreamily. The party turned around to see the dwarf addressing Edward, who was helpless. "Would you like a love sonnet for ten gold coins?"

After those words, every female (except Te'ijal) stiffened. Edward was sweating nervously. He looked at both of them. Mel was shifting her feet and fidgeting. Stella was still gawking on the goddess's statue.

_Mel…_

_Stella…_

_Mel…_

_Stella…_

_Mel…_

Edward looked at Mel, and saw she was staring back with an emotion he never imagined. Did Mel feel… uncertain?

_Stella…_

Stella was smiling at him in an encouraging manner. Edward thought she was egging him on to reading the love sonnet to Mel.

The elf cleared her throat. "If you decide not to choose between the maidens, you may read it to yourself…"

At this, Mel snorted. Edward internally gave the elf an 'are you kidding me?' face.

"No," he finally said, "I'll take it."

Mel handed him ten coins to give to the elf and Edward read the sonnet… facing…

* * *

**A/N: _And there goes the suspense. Oh yeah~_**

**_Hahaha. review? :))_**


	3. The New Quest

**A/N: **Okay, uuuber sorry for the long wait. Exams, Regional Achievement Test, Saturday reviews... they all knocked me into mid-march without updating anything :'(

Buuuuut TODAY is the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! (_our _school) and, well, I've got all the time I have until June, entering as a second year :)

Soooooooooo, enjooooooooy!

Oh, btw, I've taken a poll on those who reviewed about who should Edward face, and SHE (points to the line below) is the clear winner, with NO COMPETITORS. :))

* * *

"Mel," he acknowledged. Mel's head shot up as he read the sonnet. Her eyes glazed over as Edward read every enchanting word of it. When he finished, Mel was still grinning goofily.

"Uh, Mel?" Edward asked uncertainly, feeling that his first move was going great. Behind Te'ijal, Stella gave a double thumbs-up at him.

"Hmm?" Mel said dreamily. Edward grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly, enough to bring her back to the real world. Mel was really surprised that she and Edward were in such a close proximity.

"Ed-ed-ed-ed-edward!" she stuttered, jumping a step back instantaneously. The party hid their sniggers. Mel blushed but sent daggers at each and every one of them. The elf mysteriously disappeared.

Edward pranced around, feeling lighthearted, unruffled by the glares of the elves of so much noise coming from foreign metal clanking around as if they owned the place. Once again, that proud smirk was plastered on the prince's face, and Stella would giggle and nudge Mel playfully, who would roll her eyes and scoff and pretended the love sonnet didn't move her. Te'ijal grimaced as a faint trail of blood led averted her eyes to the Dwarf Mines. She scrunched up her nose and carried on. Yes, she knew it was blood, but she preferred human blood. And it occurred to her that even though the mines were dangerous, the scent of blood down there was unnerving.

They visited every cottage that was open to them, and they found different beings housed under the roofs. They traded a bit with the Junk Dealer, who gave high prices at practically useless things. They went around and about the other buildings they had not yet explored. They neared the town's Tavern and Te'ijal bared her fangs warningly at the party, for she disliked drunken fools and the alcohol tainting the sweet blood the human imbeciles carry. While the vampire ranted, her half-vampire husband rolled his eyes (at her back. He was not an idiot to do such a thing to her face. Even though he was a half-vampire paladin, he still valued his face).

They also went inside a cottage belonging to Wert. The instant they stepped into his neat little household, they knew something was wrong with him. They found the elf, sitting on a wooden stool, his feet barely reaching the floor, his eyes red but remaining unblinking as he sat still watching his most prized possession: a big and authentic golden egg, resting in the middle of a rather large nest. Edward tried talking to the elf, but they held no answer other than grunts and silences. After they went outside they doubted whether the elf really registered them being there.

They headed east of the town and they came upon a rather large building with an iron sign creaking creepily at the entrance over their heads. Stella had squeaked and ran behind Mel as she saw it. Edward frowned, squinting at the sign to make a discernable symbol. Te'ijal kept picking her tooth. Galahad looked around, a little bored.

"Maybe this is it," Edward mumbled, and without anyone's consent, charged inside the building to be stopped by an elf. The room was bare except for five wooden tables.

"Hello. Welcome to the Gheledon Branch of the Intelligence Agency," she said in a squeaky voice, her words coming out as though it was from the heart.

Te'ijal bounded to the door right behind the elf, who grumbled as the vampire strode past and barricaded the way to the other room. Even though the elf was small, Te'ijal was wary to hurt these little creatures, and so backed away, snarling.

"We need to get inside," she said roughly. "We have a student who is in dire need of intelligence."

Mel raised her eyebrows at Te'ijal's crouched back but never said a word. She was not desperate for knowledge and, if she had the choice, would be doing her four hundred and fifty-seventh case for Boden, living the life of a street rat and savoring the freedom that was hers for the disposal at that time instead of fighting an evil vampire in the good side where that evil vampire's sister, her husband, an I'm-all-high-and-mighty crown prince, and an enthusiastic amnesiac who, Te'ijal says, smells of moth balls.

"Only our exclusive members and their guests or students or apprentices are allowed to enter further," the elf said defiantly, crossing her arms and daring Te'ijal.

"I'm a student," Mel piped up. Everyone looked at her as though they've forgotten she was there, "or an apprentice, of Professor Gray. He sent me here to continue my incomplete studies because of travelling."

"Professor Gray?" the elf said, nodding approvingly. "Well, then, you may enter. But here is the task you must accomplish. Further inside are rooms full of things you must compare. The task: find five pairs of anything that matches. But be wary; other things are far from their pairs and are sometimes two or three rooms apart. There is no time limit. Once you have found a pair (you can only carry things two at a time), bring them to me immediately and I will put them on the tables you see around you. If you go out of the building while your task is yet unfinished, you will start again from scratch, or as the others say it, back to square one."

Te'ijal frowned severely at the elf, nodded briefly, and charged on to the first room…

…to be stopped yet again by the number of things to be paired.

* * *

"Edward, you carry that doll," Te'ijal ordered, feeling wary and oddly claustrophobic as they checked the fourth room for the third time.

"Which to give up?" the prince asked, balancing a round red shield on one hand and a kettle in another, "the shield or the kettle?"

"The kettle."

"Why are we giving the kettle up for the doll?" Stella inquired, jumping obliviously at Te'ijal's patience's breaking point.

"Because I think I saw a red shield on the fifth room."

"Then why not give the kettle in the fifth room instead of here?"

Te'ijal was about to burst that unfortunately-innocent happy bubble when she took a deep breath to calm down. Her body relaxed a bit and her words came out in a rush so the impatience boiling inside her wouldn't coat them. "Because I'm not yet sure if it's exactly the same."

"Then why give up the kettle if not sure? If we find a pair to it, we'll have a hard time to go looking for it."

"Drop it, Stella," Mel whispered as Edward coaxed Te'ijal, whose hands were balled into sweaty fists yet again. "Te'ijal's got enough to be dealing with."

Stella's eyes widened in understanding and she mimed to zip up her mouth and throwing away the key. _Finally, _Te'ijal thought as Edward dropped the kettle.

"Anyways, I'm sure I saw a doll with red hair wearing a yellow dress on the first room," the vampire mused as she picked her way through the mess.

"Yes, it might be identical, but the dress' design had only fourteen frills, and this one has fifteen, so – "

"Just SHUT UP!" Te'ijal roared at Stella, who quickly whimpered at her forgetfulness of her miming a few seconds ago. "I've done all you could think of and more for the eight centuries I've lived. So don't get all speculative and definitive with me, moth ball. My patience has been tried and trampled upon by lamb chop and Pendragon, and believe me, I'd rather be in the gas chamber than have a moth ball rolling around the thread."

There was silence for a long time as Mel came behind Stella and whispered things. Edward's eyes refused to look at the scene. Galahad disappeared behind a mound of unimaginable things, and Te'ijal was panting hard as though her bloodlust had taken over her entire being and egging her on to slaughter the entire kingdom. After fifteen minutes, the steady silence was broken by muffled sniffling. Te'ijal's vision cleared and all she could see was Stella's shaking shoulders were facing her while Mel patted her on the back.

"I'm sorry, Stella," she said, regretting every word she had said because of her temperament, "I didn't mean that. I was just so annoyed so early in the morning that it carried on until here." She grimaced as though she just swallowed bitter medicine – or worse, cursed blood. "You're right, though. The doll has fifteen frills, and the other I saw had only fourteen."

Stella shook her head. "No, Te'ijal, I'm to blame. I even threw away the key and my trap won't stay shut!" Stella wailed, bursting into another fresh wave of tears.

"No, no. I am to blame."

"No, me!"

"No, me!' Te'ijal growled.

"Ladies, calm down," Galahad chimed in. They all turned around to see the half-vampire, holding a round barrel. "I saw another barrel like this in the first room. If we got that – "

" – we're finished with the test," Edward finished, and he glowed. Mel blubbered like an idiot, giggling and then coughing like a seventy year old man. "Let's go."

* * *

"I can't wait to try out those moves!" Stella cried, her hair bouncing up and down as she returned to her normal bouncy self. "Wait till we get to Istir Forest!"

"Yes, Stella, but if we still didn't finish this quest, we would not be ice skating," Te'ijal chimed not unkindly. Stella was unfazed.

"Well," she added hopefully, "maybe our quest would lead us there."

"What would we do in Istir Forest?" Mel asked, ducking a low branch sticking out of the rocks. They had left the city and had gone forward to finish this Naylith Quest.

"Oh, you'll never know – maybe we get to see that Sleeping Beauty."

"Oh, pshaw," Edward scoffed, turning around from the front at the sound of the hottest headline in Thais' lead newspaper. "Everybody knows it's fake – what are the odds that you just _happen _on a pure maiden sleeping peacefully in a castle surrounded by wolves?"

"Regrettable choice of words," Te'ijal muttered. Mel tried hard to set her mouth into a tightrope.

"Look." Galahad pointed to a giant empty birdcage, its man-sized door open. There was a kind of ring at the top that was scratched by giant talons, no doubt, and it sent a chill down Mel's spine.

"What the hell is that?" she inquired. No one answered her.

"Hey! Look," Stella cried, pointing to a cave next to the birdcage. Having been driven to apprehension by the empty birdcage, they hurried into the only shelter and hiding place they could find lest the monster they were imagining comes back.

"Whoa," Edward whispered, looking around. There was an unlocked chest on one side, and beside it was a table, in which there was a scroll of paper. They all went to the scroll except for Te'ijal, who studied something on the far wall – maybe an almost invisible mural?

"I can't read this," Edward said, exasperated. Galahad took one look at the scroll and hissed.

"No, I cannot, either."

"Oh, it's _easy,"_ Stella said, and with a confidence they never saw from her before, she began to read the hieroglyphic message in their own language.

"_To get to Naylith, you must find four keys from four parts of the world," _Stella said. Then she shrugged, "Or in the map."

"What do you mean: '_or in the map_'?" Mel demanded.

"It's too complex for my mind to process," Stella replied, frowning. "I think it must be my memory. I can only translate it to you in my own words, not word-for-word."

"That's okay," Edward hastily said, glaring at Mel. She only shrugged.

"So, suppose we get the keys," Mel said, thoughtful, "where do we put it?"

"Here," Te'ijal's voice came like a faint breeze, but they heard it nonetheless. They scurried up to her and saw a circle embedded in the wall, with four empty irregular slots.

"Some key," Edward muttered.

"So this is what we get," Mel cried. "We're supposed to go to Naylith, and in order to do that, we're supposed to go on a field trip around the map searching for irregular stones – is that right?"

They all meekly nodded. Mel grinned.

"Well, let's get going!" she said enthusiastically, rubbing her hands, and staring at Edward mischievously. "I've been itching for a tour, and there's something at the back of my head that's saying Edward's going to pay all of the expense."

"Why would your tick say that?" Edward replied jokingly, and all of them laughed as Mel punched him in the arm and he screamed like a little girl.

* * *

**A/N: **So there goes the party. :DD

Oh, and guys, could you help me a bit? My dad deleted Aveyond GON from my laptop and I have a faulty memory and... you know what I mean.

Just answer some of the questions so I can continue, please. It'll be real big help :D

**1. Who was the guy who woke Sleeping Beauty again? (I forgot).**

**2. What was the name of that egg that would come out of the slots when you put in the four keys? (I forgot).**

That's all, for now. Thanks in advance! (wave)

REVIEW, PLEASEEE!

Oh, and HAPPY VACATION TO MEEEEEE!


	4. Hell Hath No Fury like Edward Enslaved

**A/N: Very very very very sorry. I forgot I had a waiting story. :( Dammit. And I didn't upload ANYTHING this summer! Eck. I'm not going to promise anything so I won't break it :D It's the last day of Intramurals for our school, and we have a festival until September 20 :) Happy Fiesta to moi!**

**A song I had in mind to explain Mel's attitude at the end of this chapter ;) Edward's POV.**

**"_You love the way I look at you,_**

**_While taking pleasure in the awful things you put me through._**

**_You take away if I give in,_**

**_My life, my pride, is broken."_**

**_-Points of Authority, by Linkin Park_**

**_ENJOY!~_**

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"So first we go to the easier stops… Oh-Kay…"

They were wandering up and down Istir Forest, Edward in the lead, holding the fragile world map. Te'ijal insisted that he copy the four locations of the keys, and now there were four marks hastily scribbled on the old parchment. Edward was concentrating so hard on the nearest location (far west of Istir Forest) through the harsh wind that he hardly seemed to notice Stella and Mel, who were halfway through obtaining hypothermia.

"Ed-Edward…" Stella mumbled, shivering. A loose strand of hair flew to her mouth, and she flicked it away. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Of course I do!" Mel instantly knew he was lying. There was the telltale glint of uncertainty in his eyes when he turned, and it made her frozen lips tug automatically into a smirk. He turned to Mel and saw through the snow her smug appearance, and yelled, "And what's up with you, smirking like that? You doubt the crown prince of Thais' sense of navigation? Ha! It's not like _you _would've done any better."

Te'ijal and Galahad grasped each of her wrists tightly in case something happened. Nothing did, though. Mel ignored the jibe from the crown prince, seeing as she hated nobles, much more being successfully baited by them. Edward, who was expecting a tantrum, looked away, secretly disappointed at the lack of response, and turned to chat with Stella gloomily.

"Ignore him," Te'ijal intoned in a whisper. Mel and the two vampires walked slowly so they could have some privacy. Edward and Stella were still talking up front, and there was only a slight chance they would be overheard. "In stories of wars against evil where the kingdoms are included, the Pendragons have been all talk before joining the party of the heroes."

"Really?" Mel said, intrigued.

"Yes," the vampire replied. "Before, when the world was again plagued by an evil… person… named Ahriman; the princess of Thais – Alicia Pendragon – never wanted to marry. She refused to marry Lord Zorom, who had kidnapped her and who had also brought back Ahriman; she gave a demanding letter to a world-renowned seamstress to help a girl named Ella marry prince Edward of Candar, thus starting the generations of Ellas ruling Candar. The princess – Alicia – then joined the party of Talia and Devin to rid the world from evil, though always calling them 'peasants' and 'commoners'."

"There is not much to say in the second part of the war against Ahriman," Galahad continued. "It happened many years after the successful mission of the first group. Again, we do not know much, as the elder that told Te'ijal the stories was in hiding during that time. Te'ijal only passed the information to me."

"And then," Te'ijal interrupted. "Two elves from The Vale – that's a place off our world – came to the Land of Man, which is our world. A changeling, Ean had come alone to rescue his friend, Iya, who was abducted by the Snow Queen ruling Shaenlir. After that, they went to Thais and had their mission of uniting the kingdoms against the Snow Queen and regaining Iya's magic back."

"Err… who was the pompous Pendragon then?" Mel asked hastily.

"Oh, yes, I forgot. It was Nicolas Pendragon, the second son of the then-ruling Pendragons. He had good looks, good grades in the Collegium… the only thing wrong with him is his attitude. He thinks he's always high and mighty, and no commoner has the right to even talk to him. He only shaped up when he joined the party and got cursed in Bogwood. He was doomed to being hit by a big boot in his behind every time he insulted someone, and, believe me, it's painful. Though," Te'ijal added thoughtfully, "he was always picky about the party members. He wouldn't want a warlock to be in the group, so whenever he was joining, Nicolas would go back to Thais impatiently."

Galahad sighed. "They're powerful and smart, yes, but the Pendragons have an ingrained sense of nobility, and with it comes the pride in their ranking, regardless of what they want to be. In Edward's case, he is proud to be a Pendragon and to be the crown prince, even though he demands everyone not to call him 'm'lord'."

Mel made an "Eww" face that was not so severe. She had expected it for the nobles then and now, and the "m'lord" part relived memories of Lydia at the Collegium. At that instant the castle resurfaced when Mel had turned around and she saw flash of green while the king was talking to Edward. She wondered, not for the first time, if Lydia overheard the "bring home a bride or literally marry an orc" rule. Mel hoped Lydia was sidetracked and wasn't waiting for them in, for example, a village in the west.

"We're here!" Edward cried from up front, his arms spread wide over his head like he was attempting to embrace the enormous castle that seemed like it was thrown from its own kingdom and, unfortunately, landed in this lonely place. Stella was on her knees, wrist-deep in a fresh corpse that had a big ugly gash on the side. She stood up and shook her head, her right hand flicking up and down sending droplets of blood smearing the white snow.

"It's already looted," she said to us. Stella looked up to the castle uncertainly. "Someone beat us here."

"And they're inside the castle," Galahad added, pointing to the lights inside. They were bright yellow and although it was nearing sunset, the snow looked as though they had been blessed with sunshine. Stella's face lit up.

"We're at Beauty's castle!" she said, ecstatic, clapping her hands as she bounced. She shoved an empty hand, palm upwards, at Edward and said, "HA! You lose! Pay the debt!"

"What?" Edward answered, aghast. "N-no! You're not e-even sure if Beauty is in there!"

"Well then, let's go see!" Stella dragged the prince by the collar inside the gaping door. Her voice echoed from inside, saying, "And remember, if I win, you'll be my slave for a day."

There was a scream of protest (a long and dramatic "Nooooooo!" that kept warbling high) from Edward, and Mel had the urge to chuckle and snort.

"I might actually like her, you know," she said to the vampires unnecessarily, and they followed inside, marveling at the walls made entirely of ice. There was a set of stairs and they saw an ecstatic man bouncing up and down his heels as he gazed outside the window. Mel had the impression he won a lottery. And then she realized who he was, and the memory of that petty fight in the pub at Thais resurfaced.

"Eston?" she called to the man, and he looked up. Surely there he was – all happy and carefree, not the grump, whiny stranger claiming Mel's glass of water to be his at the tavern. Eston's face lit up as he recognized her.

"Hey, Mel!" he said, waving his hand in greeting. "Who're your friends?" He was eyeing Te'ijal and Galahad suspiciously, possibly because of their pale skin reflecting in the last rays of sunlight streaming inside from the window. Te'ijal had her fists clenched on her sides, mouth tight, eyes focused on a small crack in the ground. Galahad was touching the walls of ice without comment.

"Err… they taught me how to ice skate," Mel invented wildly. "They… uhm… they helped me today and we lost track of time and we just went west and we stumbled here at your… err… lovely castle."

Perhaps it was the speed of her talking or the nonsense in it that made Eston smile and chuckle. "This isn't my castle. This place is owned by the girl I rescued."

Before anyone could ask him who, Stella bounded to them, panting, and Edward-free. "Beauty's real!" she squealed in delight, and she cackled.

"Of course Beauty's real," Eston replied uncertainly. She glanced at Stella and then at Mel, and back again.

"Don't worry," Mel said hastily. "She's with us." She laughed uncertainly and whispered at Stella, "Where's Edward?"

"Oh, he's moping around open-mouthed. Apparently being a servant for a commoner for the second time had a huge impact."

"Of course it does," Mel replied, smiling wickedly. She waved at Eston and said, "Hey, we'll just ask Beauty some questions and we'll be off."

"Okay. Oh, you can stay here, if you like. There are spare beds and rooms, and it's dangerous to go out at night. The wolves and those spirit-thingies are worse than ever."

"And," Te'ijal added softly for only Mel to hear, "You're not supposed to go out at night, lest you want to be found by my brother."

Mel gulped as the sight of Gyendal Ravenfoot at Harburg suddenly leaped in her mind. "Okay," she answered Eston feebly, and she walked as fast as she could to the end of the hall where they could see the crown prince of Thais howling like a wolf at Beauty's feet.

"Tell me you're not true!" he exclaimed. Beauty was trying to free her ankles to no avail. "Please tell me this is all a dream!"

Beauty tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and tugged at her shimmering gown. "I'm sorry, sir, but I am real. Now would you be a dear and let go of my gown, please?"

"I'm going to be a slave! _Again!" _The prince cried, devastated.

Mel punched him round the head. "Get over it," she ordered. She faced Beauty, smiled, and asked. "Err… Beauty? We have some questions for you."

"Yes, yes," she said, smiling back. She led them to some comfy chairs, sat down in her own throne-like one, and said, "Ask away."

"Do you have a key?" Te'ijal asked straight away. "An irregular one?"

"I had," she replied. "But the wicked witch, Heptitus, had stolen it from me. She was the one who put me to sleep. Without Eston…" Her face constructed itself into a lovey-dovey face that made Mel internally puke. "I would've slept forever and never notice the beautiful surroundings again…"

She sighed dreamily, and there was some sniffling behind Mel. Some few seconds later, someone had bawled loudly. Surprisingly, it was Edward.

"You're so perfect!" he screamed, tears streaming out of his eyes. "A nature lover! You're just the same as me, I want to be a chicken farme-"

"STOP HITTING ON HER!" Mel and Eston shouted together, both their fists landing on each of Edward's cheek.

"Ow!" Edward muttered, caressing his face. His face resembled a purple tomato. "Damn, I can relate to Eston's reaction, but Mel…? You too?"

Mel blushed, and crossed her arms. She pointedly ignored Stella's knowing smirk and said, "I… This isn't the time to get distracted, lover boy. And besides, you have the nerve to hit on a girl in front of her lover?"

"Is it that, or are you just jeal – " Edward began, but Galahad put a hand over his mouth.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," he whispered, quoting a line from a play called "The Mourning Bride". "Best not to push it. Keep it in tact, lest you want your neck torn off."

"Aren't you just relating my situation to yours?" the prince hissed in reply.

In retaliation, Galahad struck a joint in his neck which caused the crown prince to collapse in a heap.

"Is he okay?" Mel said, trying hard to tone down the note of concern in her voice as she asked Galahad.

"He's just tired," he lied casually. "The whole slave issue was too tough for him. Maybe we should go sleep."

"Perfect!" Eston screamed. "It's dusk, anyway. I'll show you to your rooms."

"Oh, no thanks," Mel said. "The rest of you can go ahead. I'll be the night watch."

"Nonsense," Te'ijal was first to reply. "This is exactly what I warned you not to do – to show up in front of my brother! And now you're going to go and get your own death sentence?"

"Relax," she replied, waving a hand. "I'll just keep watch of Beauty outside her room, in case Heptitus or someone else arrives to steal the key which Heptitus stole. At morning we'll go find this witch. And besides, Eston will be there, so I won't be alone."

"Yes," Eston chirped. "I've been guarding Beauty's door every night."

"All right," Te'ijal said reluctantly. "But I'll take the second watch by midnight. Mel, you need sleep."

"Okay," Mel said, and grinned. "I'm going! And don't heal Edward, Stella!"

"Why not!" Stella shouted back.

"He's your slave, remember?" she smirked. "Masters and mistresses don't heal their slaves."

When Mel had gone, Eston chuckled. "Mel was always a kind of masochist."

"Yes, I can see that," Te'ijal muttered, cringing.

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**A/N: Tell me if I still have the talent. xDDDD**


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